The Tokugawa Military
A Samurai Warrior.
The Tokugawa Shogunate was a military dictatorship. They isolated themselves from foreign influences to insure security of their power for nearly 250 years. In the late 19th century, Japan became a power that was able to defeat Russia and China forces. It occupied Korea, Taiwan, and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 they invaded China. Japan attacked U.S. forces in 1941 which led America into entering World War II. Samurai Warriors were forced to work as bureaucrats in the administration of the Tokugawa. Samurai were the only official military retainers for the government, they were the only ones who could carry a long sword, and the highest ranked samurai could ride horses. Samurai no matter what rank or status they were, they served the daimyo. Being a samurai meant that you were the lord of your land, which was given to you by your daimyo. Samurai swore loyalty to their lord in a loyal ceremony with a contract that was written with the samurai's own blood and the document was burned, then the ashes were dissolved in water and then he drank it. Laws said that any disrespect to a samurai by a peasant, was justified by killing them on the spot. Some regions had laws so that a samurai could kill a peasant for any reason at all. The samurai were one of the highest respected officials in the Shogunate.